WWII was one of human history’s darkest time. Millions of innocent lives lost, and the damage was massive. It has been more than 70 years since the war ended but the effects it left still affects us up to now.

People have been finding bits and pieces of WWII weaponry all over the world. Some bombs found have not even exploded. Just imagine finding that in your backyard.

Just like this Danish boy who discovered an amazing WWII remnant. His grandfather has told him stories about the war but just imagine his surprise when he stumbled upon something that was part of the war.

10. The Young Discoverer

14-year-old Danish, Daniel Rom Kristiansen, was given a homework about WWII. His father then remembered his grandfather’s story about a plane crashing on their farm in Birkelse during the war. It was supposedly a joke but Daniel decided to give it a try. After all, it wouldn’t hurt if he did.

9. Off To Explore

So Daniel’s father went with him to find the proposed crashed plane. They also decided to take a metal detector with them to see what they could discover on their farm in Birkelse but never really expect to find anything.

8. Beep-Beep-Beep

When the machine started beeping over a patch of swampy ground the father and son started digging. Of course, they were ecstatic. But after digging a few feet, they realized they need to go deeper. So they borrowed an excavator from a neighbor, and around four to six meters down, they discovered the remains of the plane.

7. The Plane And Something Else

The father and son found an engine from the ME 109 Messerschmitt plane, Luftwaffe munitions. But aside from the bits and pieces of the plane, they found something chilling.

‘In the first moment it was not a plane,’ the father told BBC. ‘It was maybe 2,000 – 5,000 pieces of a plane. And we found a motor… then suddenly we found parts of bones and parts from [the pilot’s] clothes.’ They also found the skeleton of the pilot!

6. The Fallen Pilot

They also found the personal things of the pilot. ‘And then we found some personal things – books, a wallet with money… Either it was a little Bible or it was Mein Kampf – a book in his pocket. We didn’t touch it, we just put it in some bags. A museum is now taking care of it. I think there’s a lot of information in those papers.’

5. Bomb On Board

After the discovery, the father contacted World War Two historians and the Danish authorities. But the plane will have to be removed by bomb disposal experts, as it crashed with ammunition on board. It was a good thing, they stopped their search, or else they’ll be in pieces just like the plane.

4. Story Telling

“He was telling a lot of stories, my grandfather,” said Daniel’s father. “Some of them were not true, and some of them were true – but this one was true. Maybe I should have listened to him a bit more when he was alive!” Who knew what other discoveries the father and son could have made if they listened to his stories.

3. Clueless

Forensic police are working to recover the dead pilot’s remains, and he will likely be buried in Germany afterward. The field is currently used to graze cattle, and Daniel’s father said that his family has worked on the land where the plane was buried for decades.
He added that he has lived there for 40 years, unaware as to what was hidden just beneath the surface. ‘We had never seen anything on the surface,’ he said.

2. Crash Site

he crash site was closed off while bomb disposal experts safely dispose of the ammunition. More than 30,000 Messerschmitt Bf 109s were produced during the war, forming the backbone of the Luftwaffe’s fighter force. They served in all theaters, from the Battle of Britain to the Eastern Front and North Africa.

1. A+ Homework

Daniel ended up with an amazing story to write up for his assignment. His father said, “He’s actually been given the day off school today so that he can watch the police and bomb disposal people working. It’s quite exciting for all of us.” How cool is that? We’re pretty sure Daniel got an A+ for his homework. Digging up a WWII plane was impossible to top.

What started as a joke ended up to be something amazing. I mean, how cool is finding a vintage WWII plane with the pilot on it? Although it’s a bit creepy seeing the bones of the pilot. But what an experience for the 14-year-old to be able to dig up something very valuable.